When I went to work last Thursday work had not yet started but workmen were filling the driveway with pickup trucks. I did not get home until very late that evening. My husband had put up an orange snowfence so that I would not fall into the huge hole between the sidewalk and our back door. In the morning I could see the huge pile of dirt in the backyard and see that the forms for the footings were done. It was interesting discover what was left of the old cistern that was made of red bricks and cement. When the septic system was upgraded two years ago this had been partially dismantled and filled in, but it was a concern because it forms part of the basement wall; the new footings for the porch will help reinforce this wall.

When my parents first got electricity on the farm my father had all the electric wires put underground. Power comes into the house underground from the road, then travels out underground to an access well out by the granary. From there it branches out three ways to the garage, the barn/hog barn, and to the granary/machine shed/chicken house. When moving farm machinery my dad never had to worry about hitting overhead wires because it was all underground. The pipe you see in the excavation photos is to protect the electric line that goes out the other farm buildings.

I was home all day Friday and watched the cement truck come and pour the footings. Carpenters also started framing the walls of the room above the kitchen. The contractor wants the new roof framed and sheathed above before ripping out the kitchen ceiling/flat roof. Friday the cement blocks were delivered for the foundation of the porch. This porch/sunroom will have an insulated cement floor.

The next step will be to gut the kitchen/back entry. My husband and I still have a lot to do to empty out the kitchen, sent up a temporary kitchen and find a place to store all of the other stuff (lots of stuff!!) from the kitchen that we can live without for the next 2+ months it might take.